


Sideline Stories: Like Romeo and Juliet (Shyler)

by UnicornAffair



Series: Wild Pitch [25]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Charge, Power Rangers Ninja Steel
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 10:43:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17723669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornAffair/pseuds/UnicornAffair
Summary: An Angel Grove girl and a Briarwood boy? Young couple Shelby Watkins and Tyler Navarro come from rival schools and yet found each other. Their story among a deep seeded Tigers vs Bulls hatred for one another. Can love actually rise above all odds? Or are they in over their heads?





	Sideline Stories: Like Romeo and Juliet (Shyler)

**Author's Note:**

> After the past couple of entries in this universe I wanted something a little bit light hearted for Valentines day. Now we're going to get into the lives of the freshmen characters to see their story.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

**~Shelby~**

There was one thing Shelby hated more than anything, and that was working at the family business. The famous Watkins Ice Cream shop on the corner of main street. It was a stable in the Angel Grove community, just like Zedd’s Pizza it was a family owned and operated establishment. As the only child, it was highly expected that she would take over the business when her family retired. Her father was _very_ clear on the importance of _business,_ of _money._ He wasn’t very supportive of her dreams to become a paleontologist or work for a museum. She didn’t _belong_ here behind the ice cream desk, wearing a stupid pink polo and a pink visor hat to go with it. Though, the upside was she was able to take part in making up the seasonal specials. That part she supposed was cool…that and the fact that her father made sure that it was a _pokemon gym_ in the _pokemon go_ game.

It was just an ordinary fall day when he walked in, football season had already ended so marching band wasn’t... _marching_ anymore. It meant that the band only played for the boys basketball team on select games and more importantly, Shelby had more _‘free time’_ to work at the shop. Yay. The upside? She had her own money to play with...she had to keep reminding herself that a paycheck was worth dealing with customer service.

“Hi, welcome to Watkins Ice Cream how can I help you?” The standard greeting.

The boy in a Briarwood Bulls red t-shirt looked contemplative, his hand on his chin. Watkins was a bit of a neutral zone when it came to Briarwood and Angel Grove’s intense rivalry... _everyone_ loved ice cream after all. “Oh, I don’t know, I’ve never been here before” Oh no, he’s cute. His voice had a little bit of a rasp to it and his _smile..._ oh no. “What would you suggest?”

“Um” Suddenly Shelby forgot _every_ flavor of ice cream that had ever existed. She got so lost in those sparkling brown eyes. Say something! Anything! She mentally was screaming. “The ice cream is good”

That earned a chuckle from the boy, oh god she was so embarrassed. Really? She could have said _anything._ “Okay” His smile was so wide, and with a firm nod he added a, “I’ll have one of those. Give me an ice cream” Despite the tease, his laugh was gentle, contagious even.

“I make a really good cinnamon blend” Shelby walked him down the counter, taking a little spoon so she could pull a little out and give him a sample, “Here”

“Yeah?” The latino boy reached over to grab the sample spoon, he was so excited to try something new Shelby could tell. He closed his eyes, having a Watkins sample was a bit of a cathartic experience, “Wow! This is awesome” He paused, realizing what she had said, _“You_ made this?”

“Ha guilty”

“But you’re…” He stared in disbelief, “You’re what? 15?”

Shelby’s brow rose, “Has anyone ever taught you manners? You never ask a woman her age” Now it was time to throw it back at him, with a teasing smile. It made up for her total and complete mind blank earlier. ...Though he _did_ think that she was older...so that had to be a plus in some book.

“Sorry! Sorry” He quickly apologized, hoping that he didn’t actually insult her, “I just...this is amazing” The young bull laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, “I always figure the adults are behind that kinda thing”

“Ah not here” Since it was pretty dead, Shelby had the time to lean up against the counter and talk to this customer, “It’s part of my life duty of being a Watkins. Ice cream is in my blood”

“Wow” The cute boy was surprised, his eyes instantly traveled to one of the Watkins logos that were in the room, notably on the t-shirts for sale behind her. “That’s so cool!” Everyone seemed to think that, but the reality was, it was a prison sentence...they didn’t realize how _trapped_ the Watkins name made her feel. “Okay, uhm. I’ll take a medium cinnamon cone” He finally got through with his order, a pause, “Oh and a chocolate milkshake” The boy looked back to a red car parked in the lot outside, his mom was sitting waiting for him to get his order in. “Thanks” He squinted to read Shelby’s name tag, “Shelby”

“Hope to see you again” Shelby rang him out, the boy leaving the change in the tip cup as opposed to pocketing it. “Have a nice day!” She called as he left. Ah! She held it together just long enough, oh he was _so_ cute.

It certainly wasn’t the _last_ time Shelby saw the boy.

*****

The next time the mystery boy came to Watkins ice cream, he had ridden a red bike...as in, he wasn’t around his mother. He came in with a charming smile and a head nod, “Hey Shelby” He... _he remembered her name!?_ Oh or he had really good eyesight...that could be it...she did have her name on the name tag after all.

Do _not_ freak out, do _not_ freak out.

“Hey” He was always in such a good mood, that it was hard _not_ to be smiling around him. “What’ll it be today? Cinnamon?”

The boy shook his head, “Don’t get me _wrong_ I loved it” He put his hands up, not wanting to insult the culinary mastermind behind the flavor, “But some of this stuff is seasonal and I don’t wanna miss out” He went straight for the holiday flavors, with Christmas right around the corner it was easy to get into the mood, “I’ll have a medium peppermint in a cup”

“You should join our rewards program” Shelby brought the boy his ice cream, then opened up a drawer where plastic cards sat. “You can get free things after earning a certain amount of points” She laughed, completely joking, “Get 500 points and you get a free Watkins Ice Cream t-shirt” Shelby motioned to the t-shirt behind her, laughing, thinking why would anyone actually _want_ a shirt from this place?

The boy tilted his head, admiring the shirt, “Does it come in red?”

With it being a simple one color, white logo on the shirt, Mr. Watkins’ ordered it in _every_ damn color of the rainbow just so a customer wouldn’t turn away because their favorite color wasn’t included. “It does”

“Challenge accepted”

*****

The mystery boy was now coming in practically once a week, bantered with Shelby, tried something different off of the menu, just to earn more points. It was fun having a regular customer...only...it had been so long that it felt so weird that Shelby didn’t even know his name. All she knew, based on his apparel, that he rode on his bike from Briarwood...a totally different school district. With him being a _customer_ it wasn’t exactly the best idea to ask for personal information.

One day she asked, “Seriously? How long is this bike ride for you?”

He laughed, knowing that it probably came off as extreme to ride a bike to an ice cream shop in the next town over. “Maybe 45 minutes at the most? I’m trying to get in good shape, and biking is one of the best ways to do it” He glanced down to his _blue moon_ ice cream, wondering how much it took to make it that brilliant shade of blue. “I’m actually kinda nervous, I’m trying out for the baseball team next week and...they’re kinda a big deal”

“Really?” Shelby knew that Briarwood held athletics on a _high_ standard. Baseball was especially famous for their mayor pieing ceremony. Their football team practically had a parade when they knocked Angel Grove out of the playoffs. “That’s so funny, I’m actually trying out for the softball team”

The other boy paused, tilting his head to the side, “No way! That’s awesome” He never failed to put a smile on Shelby’s face, the more time he spent with her the more commonalities were discovered.

“Yeah, well” Shelby lowered her voice, “I’ve played since, god, I was 4” She motioned to the photos of Watkins Ice Cream sponsored rec teams over the years. It was _super_ embarrassing for Shelby that everyone could see her growth from t-ball to her awkward 7th and 8th grade years. For Shelby it was either basketball or baseball, and she was _far_ too clumsy for basketball. Mr. Watkins saw the sponsorship as an easy way to get his name out there, he even became a coach during the years she was playing just to help _advertise._ He ended up _loving_ coaching so every summer he signs up, Shelby could look forward to now being an assistant coach after all this time. “It also means I work less”

“It’s cool that your dad is so involved…” He trailed off, shaking his head, he didn’t want to bring their banter down with anything personal. “There’s only one spot on the team left so I’m _hoping…”_

“Well, how about this?” Shelby tilted her head, “You make the team and I’ll get you a free milkshake” She smiled, “To celebrate”

The boy folded his arms and slowly nodded, “And if _you_ make your team, I’ll buy _you_ a milkshake...to celebrate” His offer was genuine, basically he wanted to cancel out potential future treats so she wouldn’t get into trouble. “I really hope you make it”

*****

Coach Repulsa is absolutely _insane_ for what she made those girls go through for tryouts. As part of the _second_ group she had her choice of peer mentor and since sophomore _Kelsey Winslow_ went for Tanya Sloan, Shelby chose Emma Goodall to help guide her through her tasks. She was super glad she ended up with the third basemen, Emma was so super sweet and had nothing but positive encouragement and tips for the freshman. It was that positivity that helped Shelby keep motivated and to _never_ call it in.

Though, she never wanted to look at a _tire_ for a _long_ time.

Shelby was one of the four lucky girls that made the team. It was her, some new girl named Trini, Kimberly Hart the one that burned through her social status by sending out a nude picture of her friend, and Hayley Foster---aka the _most_ popular girl in the freshmen class. To say it would be one interesting season would be an understatement...these girls were all so different in personality that Shelby hoped for the best. She hoped that _maybe_ she could come out of this with friends...

The odd part was in all of this that her regular stopped...being _regular._ Did he not make the team and was too embarrassed to come around the ice cream shop? Shelby felt _awful_ about making her team if that were the case. She shouldn’t even care...he was just a customer, someone who came in once a week to get ice cream and then leave fifteen minutes later. There was no way he felt the same way about her...he never even told her his name after all of this time. It was just a dumb crush...a cute boy smiles her way and she swoons.

This time was different though, she _felt_ like she actually had a possible chance at romance. As a certified band dork, guys weren’t exactly ringing her bell. She didn’t think she was pretty, not like the likes of Hayley Foster or Sarah Thompson. It was nice to feel _seen_ for once...but he was probably just being nice.

During the camping trip, Shelby and Hayley were often paired off as they were the two freshmen of the team and the other two new members of the group were dating one another. It was so surreal to be around the popular girl...to Shelby, Hayley always felt like she was a planet in a different orbit. They would cross paths every now and again but they would never be on the same level. Hayley and her boyfriend Calvin were voted _homecoming_ _court_ after all...and Shelby...played a clarinet in band.

Maybe...just _maybe_ Shelby and Hayley would actually become friends out of this. Shelby simply buzzed at the thought of being in Hayley’s circle, maybe she set her hopes too high but a part of her always wondered what it would be like to sit at the popular lunch table. To know what the likes of Hayley’s friend group talked about...to feel what it was like to be on the inside. Hayley and Calvin were the Freshmen _power couple,_ Sarah Thompson was the all-star athlete on the varsity soccer team, Preston Tein came from _money_ and the boy was so talented that he became leading man in the theatre club’s play, Brody Romero was a bit of a new kid that was _so_ freaking lucky to gel with Calvin...he didn’t even _try_ and suddenly he was apart of the cool kids club.

It was a couple of days after the camping trip when the Briarwood boy finally came back to Watkins ice cream. Oh what _timing_ he had. Calvin and Hayley were sitting at one of the tables when the boy in red entered the building. Hayley immediately noticed Shelby’s expression changed and she nudged her boyfriend to pay attention...oh _GOD_ that meant they talked about Shelby’s crush on a Briarwood Bull.

“Hey...I’m so sorry I haven’t been around” The boy in red apologized instantly, “I made the team and ah” He sighed, not wanting to get into it...he seemed to be _exhausted._ “It’s been busy. Initiation process...is _intense”_

“Oh that’s fine” Shelby tried to play it off nonchalantly, as if she _wasn’t_ worried about her regular customer and wondering if she would ever _see_ him again. “The softball team actually came back from a camping trip so…” The softball girls had a fun easy time geling with one another, then again this kid was the _only_ newbie on the Briarwood baseball team. Who knows what idiotic things boys got into for an initiation process.

His head picked up as he connected the dots, “You made the team?”

“So did you it seems!” Shelby couldn’t help but smile, “I’m so happy for you….I guess that also means I owe you a milkshake”

“I do too” The boy nodded his head, “I’ll take a cookies and cream” A classic. This boy had _taste._ Calvin and Hayley needed a crash course on different ice creams if their go to was chocolate and vanilla respectively. While a staple in the ice cream community it was a bit...boring of a choice. “I’d like it if you’d be able to join me”

“Oh uhm, unfortunately I just got off a break” Damn her want and desire to be Hayley’s new friend, she didn’t know her Briarwood boy was coming into the shop today...she used her break to hook up Hayley and Calvin with free milkshakes to try to get on their good side. Now she was covering for a _third_ shake. Crap.

“Ah okay, well, I can do this here” He leaned up against the counter as Shelby started to put his cookies and cream ice cream and milk into the blender, “Would you wanna go out on a date with me?”

“What!?” Shelby in her excitement moved her hand and pressed the button for the blender to start. She was so taken aback that she forgot the number one rule of blender use... _put on the damn lid._ The milkshake shot up, hit the ceiling, covered her entirely in cookies and cream goodness. Oh god. She could see that Calvin was laughing at the table, Hayley doing everything in her power to shush him.

“Oh god! Are you okay?” The Briarwood boy asked, his eyes wide as Shelby started to wipe ice cream off of her face.

“Mhmm” Nope. Nope. Nope. This was absolutely the most humiliating thing that has ever happened in Shelby’s 14 years of life. _Hayley and Calvin_ saw it. Oh god. Finally. _Finally_ someone asked her out and it literally exploded in her face. Would the offer still stand? Was he going to immediately go _nevermind?_

“I ah…” He ducked his head down, unsure of what to say or do. “I guess I need to work on my timing”

“I don’t even know your name”

“You don’t?” He started to laugh, it had been literal _weeks_ and all this time he didn’t even realize that the girl he just asked out didn’t know his name. “I’m Tyler, Tyler Navarro” Out of the corner of her eye, Shelby could see Hayley pick up her phone. “And I want to date you”

“Yeah?” Was she dreaming? The ice cream explosion sure felt like part of a nightmare, or that this was all too good to be true. “Oh, hey, the softball team is hosting a fundraising car wash here in a couple of days...why don’t you stop by? We’ll figure something out from there”

Tyler blinked, a car wash definitely meant he’d be seeing Shelby in something that _wasn’t_ a Watkins uniform for a change. “Okay” He grabbed a flyer to put in his pocket, “I’m really sorry about the-”

“It’s okay, I um…just need a minute”

“Shelby is everything okay?” Mr. Watkins’ came out from the back room, “Oh you are a mess. Go get yourself cleaned up and I’ll take care of this young man” He took a couple of steps forward and greeted the man with his million dollar smile, “What did you order?”

“Uh” He literally just asked the young girl out on a date and was face to face with her father. Tyler swallowed, it was his turn to be tongue tied for a change. “A cookies and cream milkshake...and uh…” He wanted to make a good impression, “And one of your t-shirts” Smart move Navarro. A t-shirt with the Watkins Logo branded on it meant loyalty and...free advertisement...the quickest way to Mr. Watkins heart. Shelby couldn’t help but smile, shaking her head as she went into the back room to change.

When she returned to the floor, Tyler had vanished...she didn’t even get his _number_ yet, but knew that he would probably return for the car wash. Hayley had stuck around, her other half sat at the table and appeared as if he was playing a game on his phone. “I found him on Facebook, instagram and twitter” She knew exactly the million thoughts that were running through Shelby’s head. “I was thinking, that maybe it would be fun to have a sleepover...you and me” She motioned between them, a kind smile on her face, “With softball season starting, I thought it’d be a good chance to get to know each other better...and if you need help with boys-”

“Yes!” Shelby jumped on the opportunity as quick as possible, she didn’t even care to what Hayley had to _say._ Hayley Foster wanted to have a _sleepover_ with Shelby Watkins. “You can come over to my place” She invited the other girl over to her humble abode. If anything to bring a girl like Hayley to show her parents that she _could_ make other friends. 7th and 8th grade was a lonely time in Shelby’s life… “It’ll be fun I promise”

“Okay, sure” Hayley was excited to reach out to her new teammate...it didn’t matter how popular she was with the freshmen class. To the _softball_ team, she was on the lowest of the totem pole. “I can’t wait”

Being asked out on a date by the guy she had a crush on and a sleep over with Hayley Foster? Best. Day. Ever!

Shelby had no idea how much her life would change by making the varsity team.

*****

That Friday night Hayley was set to sleep over at Shelby’s place. Shelby didn’t have a lot of time to be around the house due to school and a shift at Watkins Ice Cream that she couldn’t spend a good hour cleaning up or hiding anything that could be considered _embarrassing._ Including her parents. The moment Hayley stepped into the house, Shelby was quick to grab her hand and take her upstairs to her room. No _way_ was she going to let Mr. and Mrs. Watkins ruin her chance to be friends with the one and only Hayley.

Boy was Shelby’s room a lot to take in. Hayley stared wide eyed at the walls, Shelby had posters _everywhere._ Her _favorite_ band from New Zealand the N-Zed boys and their kiwi logo, a poster for _Black Panther,_ a wall scroll of Ruby from the series _RWBY,_ an _Overwatch_ poster featuring all of the playable characters, one poster dedicated to dinosaurs. Oh and a poster of the CW show _Riverdale,_ because she swore that Jughead was really cute.

Shelby had a nice television set up with both a PS4 and a Nintendo Switch sitting nicely underneath. One thing that was nice about having a job in high school was being able to afford her favorite games to play. She about near had a panic attack when Hayley’s eyes traveled to her desk...crap. Shelby had left out _so_ many water bottles around her computer.

“Uhm” Hayley of course saw the excessive amount of empty beverage bottles, “You might want to invest in a _tervis”_ She was highly interested and walked over to the computer, if they were going to cyber stalk Tyler Navarro, it was much easier to do on a big screen. “What do you do on your computer anyway?”

“Ha! Well um” Shelby pulled out a chair so she could sit, letting Hayley be in control of the computer as she knew what she was doing. “I’m mostly on discord. Noah Carver runs a _DnD_ campaign for the band and members of the robotics club”

“DND?”

“Dungeons and dragons”

Shit. There it was. That was going to be the breaking point of Hayley thinking that this was too much, that Shelby was far too nerdy to even be breathing the same air.

“I’m a summoner” She glanced down to the ground, hating herself for _continuing_ to talk but it was just all coming out. Shelby talked a lot because she didn’t have many people that would stop and listen to what she had to say. “Sessions can last for like hours, it’s really a lot of fun”

“Oh those kind of games seem way too complicated for me” Hayley admitted, opening up _Facebook._ “But, that’s cool” She...wasn’t going to judge Shelby for that? Or poke fun? “You can play without being in the same room?”

“Yeah discord has like a video chat so we just set up a time to play and...go” Shelby was shocked that Hayley would ask further questions about it. “Noah’s a cool guy, I’m happy that he like...let me join”

“Mhmm I remember you mentioning about your _crush_ on him” Oh _GOD._ Shelby _did_ admit her feelings for the senior during the campfire.

“Hey! What was said in the mountain stays at the mountain” Hayley laughed lightly at Shelby’s response.

“Fair enough” She sent a friend request to Tyler via Shelby’s account, “So if I were to play what would I be?”

“Seriously?”

Hayley didn’t understand why Shelby was so surprised, “What?”

“I thought you said this wasn’t your thing…”

“It’s _not…”_ Though the girl seemed a bit embarrassed at the campfire to share how much she loved the Harry Potter book series. “But it’s something _you_ like, so I was just curious…”

Shelby gulped, “Well, you’d probably be a cleric of some sort...with white magics and healing” What Shelby wanted to add was that a girl like Hayley would easily come from a royal family, someone who was highly regarded and respected by the people...and one of the most beautiful girls in the land.

“Mm...that sounds nice”

The reason Hayley wanted to _have_ a sleepover in the first place was to get to know Shelby more, but that road was a two way street and Shelby was _all_ too curious about the other girl. It didn’t take much for Hayley to see who Shelby was, or what she was interested in. She proudly brandished her fandoms like a coat of honor...but Hayley….well, she was a bit of a closed book. “What about you? What’re things you like?”

“What about me?” The other freshmen went to instagram and twitter next for Shelby to follow Tyler on all of his fronts. “There’s really...not much to say”

“Everyone has interests in _something”_ Shelby pushed, all she really knew about Hayley was that she played tennis and softball. So clearly she enjoyed athletics. “What do you do when you’re done with your homework?”

Hayley shrugged her shoulders, “Mostly I just text people…put on some netflix as background noise” Shelby imagined that she’d be back and forth with Calvin, some sort of group message and keeping up with her best friend Sarah.

“What do you like watching?”

“Sarah and I watch the _Bachelor, Grey’s Anatomy...Once Upon a Time”_ Hayley listed off, each and every show having romance as the big common thread. “I like spending time outside. Usually I’m out taking a jog or running with my dog” She brought up a picture of herself and a beautiful Siberian Husky.

Hayley continued on, “Calvin’s really big into cars so we spend a lot of time ATVing out in the mountains...it’s a lot of fun” But...everything Hayley was bringing up had something to do with someone else. Was she actually interested in them? It sounded like the others dictated her activities. To Shelby it sounded like Hayley didn’t really know herself very well, and that was a shame...

“Do you play video games?” Shelby asked, tilting her head, it was interesting to learn more about the other freshmen.

“The boys are into gaming” Hayley shook her head, “Sarah will only play a video game if it’s racing, and me? I don’t...get it…” She was the type to have candy crush on her phone and call it a day.

“What kind of games does Calvin play?” Shelby asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Call of Duty, I think is the big one he plays...I’m just not interested in video games” Ah yeah the first person shooter definitely didn’t scream Hayley’s cup of tea. If that was her impression on what video games were...Shelby wanted to change that opinion immediately.

“Oh no” Now this was going to be her own personal mission, “Those kinds of games are definitely not for everyone I get that. But there’s _definitely_ a video game for everyone to play. You just have to find the right fit” She got up and dug around, “Take it from a nerd, I’ll find you something tonight”

Hayley laughed, “Okay, if you say so” She wasn’t going to stop a determined Shelby. The popular girl switched the screen back to facebook, “Oh we’re in he accepted your friend request”

“Did he?” Shelby was well on her way to finding her pink and white nintendo 3ds xl to give Hayley a game that she could play. She could feel her heart beating in her chest rapidly, “Oh my god!”

 _“Relax”_ The popular girl started to go through the Briarwood boys photos, “Wow he is really cute...plays baseball...has a lot of pictures outside of the trails” Leave it to Tyler, the kid who would ride his bike to a different town for some ice cream to be really into hiking. “And a lot of pictures with his shirt off”

“Wow” Shelby blinked for a freshmen...he was pretty ripped…

“Mhmm” Hayley wasn’t switching pictures anytime soon. Tyler had a shirtless photo of himself holding up a fish he had just caught out in Angel Grove’s famous lake.

 **Tyler Navarro:** Hey!

As if feeling like someone was looking through his photos, Tyler sent them a message that damn near gave Shelby a heart attack.

 **Shelby Watkins:** Hey ;)

“Oh my god!” Shelby’s eyes widened at what Hayley sent the freshmen boy, “You’re supposed to press _shift_ not-”

“I meant to send the winky face”

“HAYLEY!” Shelby _knew_ what the _winky face_ meant. Oh god. She was now involved with virtual flirting with a real life breathing boy. This was so much different then the role play flirting she did in the DnD campaign. This was _real life._ Oh no. Ohhh no.

“What? It’s called _flirting”_ Judging by Hayley actually having a boyfriend, she had the experience of keeping a guy’s attention.

 **Tyler Navarro:** Sorry I left so early but with your dad being right there...

 **Shelby Watkins:** I SO get it

 **Shelby Watkins:** I was happy that I was able to see you today

“What are you going to say to him?” Shelby asked leaning forward as Hayley didn’t hesitate to type out responses in Shelby’s name.

“You want him, right? Just...trust me…”

 **Tyler Navarro:** Me too...haha I was running out of new ice cream flavors to try

“Oh my god he was totally planning on asking you out earlier, but didn’t have the courage to, aw” Hayley nudged Shelby, the other girls face heated up at the contact. “That’s really sweet”

“God, what should I say?” Shelby asked, taking that as a cue to move and take a seat next to Hayley, their shoulders brushing up against each other. “Okay uhm….uhhh here we go!”

 **Shelby Watkins:** There’s always new ones every three months!

Hayley blinked at the page, then looked to Shelby, “...Really?”

“I didn’t know what to say!”

“We’re going to have to work on how you talk to boys” She paused, “Or _anyone_ you’re ever into because...wow”

Hayley pushed Shelby aside just enough so she could have full control of the keyboard.

 **Shelby Watkins:** I’m going to hop in the shower and do some homework tho. Can’t wait to see you at the carwash! ;)

“Stop with the winky face!” Shelby tilted her head back, her hands over her face, “Oh my god, why did you say I’d be in the shower!?”

“It’s a good way of excusing yourself from the conversation…”

“He’s going to think I’m naked!”

“....Well….” Hayley shook her head, she got to her feet and urged Shelby to get up on her feet too, “Okay, we’re going to do some acting” She was starting to be more involved in the drama club to help her friend Preston out so this would be a good exercise. “Pretend I’m Tyler”

“But you’re Hayley….” Shelby could _never_ see Hayley as anything but the popular goddess of Angel Grove.

Hayley found Shelby’s purple Colorado Rockies hat and put it on her head, backwards of course, to present herself as more masculine. “I’m _Tyler_ now” She did the bro head nod thing in Shelby’s direction, “What’s up babygirl?”

“Oh my goddd” Shelby had to turn away, trying so hard to keep herself from laughing at the girl, “Is that how _Calvin_ talks to you? There’s no _way_ Tyler is going to say... _that_ ”

“No, no, Calvin definitely can’t pull off babygirl…” Neither girl said it out loud, that Calvin was far too white, “What would you rather me call you?”

“I don’t know! Something cute?”

Hayley cracked her neck, left then right and prepared herself to go at this again, “Hey cuppycake, let’s go to the movies tonight” She winked in Shelby’s direction, making the other freshmen girl bite her lip. “Too much?”

Shelby sighed and sat down on her bed, “I think I’ll be okay, with the whole talking thing, I just have to wrap my head around the idea that this is actually happening”

“That boy is crazy about you” Hayley sat down next to Shelby, patting her knee, “I’m going to ask you something pretty personal, okay?”

Shelby nodded her head, “We’re friends now….right?” She asked tentatively, worried in that moment if this was something that could possibly go back to Sarah and the others at the popular table. Should she trust Hayley? She was never mean spirited, to _anyone._

The other girl gently smiled, and suddenly Shelby felt safe in her presence, “Of course we are” She paused for a long moment, “Have you ever kissed a boy before?”

Shelby shook her head no, “I’ve never kissed _anyone_ before” She admitted, it wasn’t _that_ much of a surprise. The only boy she spent any time with was Riley Griffin, but that nerd wanted nothing to do with her on the dating scene… “Oh _god,_ that’s going to come up isn’t it?”

“Ah that kinda is what happens on a date” Hayley nodded her head, “I’m sure you’ll be just fine” she tried to reassure her new friend as much as possible, “You just have to _keep_ calm...and stay away from any and all blenders”

“I’m so screwed” Shelby let out a deep sigh, “I want my first kiss with a boy to be perfect, like in a _movie._ Y’know with the foot pop”

“So when you say like a movie...you _literally_ mean straight out of _Princess Diaries”_

Shelby shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t really have that much to go on! Unless you want to talk about video game kisses which y’know someone had to spend hours of their life animating…”

“Remember when I said to keep calm?” Hayley shook her head, “Everyone is nervous about their first kiss...I know I was”

“You were nervous about something?” That seemed hard to believe. Shelby would 100% believe that Hayley could walk on water. Everything the popular did was graceful and _effortless._

“Yes, you know I’m not _perfect_ right?” The popular girl couldn’t help but laugh, “But of course...I was going through exactly what you were when I started to date Calvin. He’s my first boyfriend, my first... _everything_ so far”

Shelby’s eyes widened, “You guys did _it?”_

“No...no...god...I don’t think I’m really ready for _that,_ honestly” The two girls were only still fourteen and while Hayley was a bit more experienced...she still wasn’t ready to go all the way with her charming boyfriend. “I’ll never forget it...we went out to dinner and a movie. He was so nervous that when he leaned in for the first kiss we bumped foreheads really hard” She leaned back on her hands, “I guess what I’m saying is that you don’t have to put such high expectations on some big romantic gestures...relationships are the stupid little things that make you laugh”

“I _really_ want this to work” Shelby didn’t know much about the boys past relationships, if he was just as inexperienced as she was...all she knew was that she craved to be around the boy with a generous smile.

“Well…” Hayley glanced Shelby over, mulling over whatever thought she had in her mind before speaking up, “If…” She shook her head, laughing to herself, “If you wanted any help...like I could teach you how to kiss”

Shelby stared at Hayley in shock, did she _hear_ that right? “...What?” Her eyes instantly traveled to the other girl’s lips, and for a split second she wondered what Hayley’s lip gloss tasted like. “You...you want to...what?”

“I’m just offering…” The popular girl glanced down, “I don’t mind, it’s just a kiss after all” She took a moment, “I didn’t really have anyone looking out for me when I first started dating. Sarah, well, Sarah wasn’t exactly thrilled that I was going out on a date with a boy she liked”

Shelby remembered Hayley’s early confession from Gia’s truth game at the campfire. Hayley dated Calvin, a boy that Sarah really had a crush on. Even if Hayley _didn’t_ make a confession, Shelby knew _all_ about it. It was a huge deal in eighth grade, but the two best friends had gotten over it by now. The soccer player had clearly moved on from the likes of Calvin Maxwell.

“It’s okay...she’s practically _obsessed_ with Brody now so” Another shrug, “I didn’t have anyone that I could ask questions to, or share the early butterfly stuff so…” Hayley’s eyes met Shelby’s, “You can say no, but...I just wanted to make the offer”

“I mean….” Was Shelby actually contemplating this? Kissing the most popular girl in their class...like _wow,_ she was lucky enough to be in the same room with her let alone _that._ “No, that’s okay, I think...I think I’ll be okay.” She wanted her first kiss to be authentic, for better or for worse. “But thanks...seriously, for all of this”

“Something tells me that we’re going to have to stick together a lot this season” Hayley laughed it off, as if she _didn’t_ just offer to lock lips with the other girl. “So, _cuppycake,_ are we going to play a game or something?”

Shelby laughed, was Hayley going to keep calling her Cuppycake as long as she wore that backwards hat? “I have the perfect game for you” Judging by Hayley’s interest in loving animals, and a need to play chill relaxing games it was a no brainer for Shelby for when she brought out her pink and white nintendo 3ds xl. “It’s called _Animal Crossing”_

*****

Shelby was practically buzzing with excitement the morning of the car wash. She wanted to be helpful to the cause, and she knew that she would get bonus points with her dad by using the shop as a beacon for an influx of customers. Clean cars and ice cream? Couldn’t go wrong with that. He was _so_ excited that he even gave her the night off...it was the perfect set up to talk to Tyler and set up their first _real_ first date.

As far as the carwash went, the girls had a _lot_ of fun. There was so much laughing and pranks being pulled with the hose. Shelby loved the band, of course she did, but this felt different...she felt like she was finally apart of something special. _Hayley Foster_ was now calling her a friend, and actually playing the 3DS that Shelby let her borrow. It was so surreal that when Hayley looked in her direction that she was actually _seen._ Hayley made her feel so special...that when she was around her, she didn’t feel like the _band dork_ everyone else made her out to be.

Tyler and the rest of the Briarwood baseball boys arrived at the same time. Shelby was _so_ excited to see him that she dropped a sponge into a bucket, the water splashing all over Tanya. “Oops! Sorry!” Shelby didn’t notice that many of the girls weren’t thrilled to see some of the Briarwood boys. She was far too interested in their youngest player, “Hey”

“Wow! You guys have got quite the operation” Tyler wished he had a car so that he could actually participate in helping, “Shelby this is Eric, Leo, Rocky, and the guy with the expensive car is Nick” He introduced her to each of the boys behind him. They seemed like nice people, well, Nick seemed to be a bit distracted by the girls in their swimsuits. “They’re going to go in and get ice cream if that’s cool”

“Oh totally, yeah, enjoy” Besides, she really didn’t want the pressure of being around his teammates. If they were anything like the softball girls, they were a tight knit group. A fraternity. “I’m super glad you showed up”

“Of course, it’s a good cause, great weather…” He paused, tapping his chin, “There was one other thing. Oh right, the discussion of our first date”

“Yes! That” Shelby glanced over to Hayley, Gia and Trini all sitting on the picnic bench talking and gossiping. An idea clicked in her mind, one that she may regret...but she was too nervous, and she wanted her time with Tyler to be perfect… “I was thinking we can go bowling, y’know like a double date you and me and my friend Hayley and her boyfriend Calvin. I promised Hayley that I’d go with them but I really don’t want to be a third wheel and it all seemed kinda perfect” As in too perfect, as in she just _made up_ this whole scenario on the spot.

“A double date?” He seemed just as nervous as Shelby, but with other people there it wouldn’t be a total one on one situation...they could still get used to being around one another. “Okay, that could be fun”

“Tonight” Shelby _prayed_ that Hayley and Calvin would be able to swing such a thing. “The four of us” Crap, that also meant she was going to have to figure out a _car_ situation. “It’ll be great”

“Can’t wait” Tyler motioned behind him, “I ah, should get back to the other guys so you can…”

“Right! I’m washing cars” Oh god it was like she totally forgot. Tanya was _not_ going to be happy that she spent more time socializing than working but this was an emergency. “I’ll see you later!”

The moment Tyler went inside to join up with the other Briarwood boys he came in with, Shelby bolted for the break table. She grabbed Hayley by the shoulders, "Do you have plans tonight?" The young freshman seemed desperate, "I asked him out on a date? Well not like a date date but I invited him to go bowling with us because I didn't want to be a third wheel to you and Calvin. Like a double date? Please be free"

"Breathe" Hayley couldn't help but smile her frantic friend, "If you can get us a ride to the bowling alley, then sure" She wasn't going to leave her hanging, this could be a real shot for her. Both Freshman looked over to the senior at the table, Gia was the only one in this conversation with her own car.

Before Shelby got out the word please, Gia rose a hand to silence her, "Promise me you won't let him feel you up in the arcade" She sighed, "Oh fine. I can drop you guys off on the way to the movie theater and pick you up after" Gia wasn't completely heartless when it came to young love, "But all four of you are cramming into the backseat" Shelby and Hayley hi-fived, they didn't care how they were getting there as long as it wasn't an embarrassing ride with a parent.

Operation double date was officially ago.

**Author's Note:**

> Tyler's next, we're going to learn a lot more about Briarwood


End file.
